Battram CA

[Jim**]

Hello Everyone,
As most of you know i have been traveling down the CA road of hell.
I have gone thru a lot of CA's in the last year looking for the perfect one.
My beloved miller CA9 I sold due to being a xl and i needed a Large.
And ever since i have regretted it.. i should have just tried to mod it to fit better.
But the search i believe is finally over.. The Battram CA is just as protective as miller was.. but without the bulk.

It is by far the best CA i have used. And i have had the pro-return stuff and brand new R8.
It is lightweight, extremely protective and not bulky.
First off the quality is perfect not a stich out of place.
the feel is good, not stiff even though it is brand new.
And it is more protective than any other CA i have used.
Now, i have not owned a Brown CA but did try on the 2100 and this CA is the only one i could compare it to for feel.

It is simply a great CA. I scored this one when a goalie purchased it and decided to retire.. so it is brand new. he was also 5-10 so it fits me well.
he asked for a bit higher neck guard and rib protection both mods are working great. It took a little strap adjusting to get the CA just right but now that i have it dialed in the neck guard doesnt come up too high and is just perfect.

I plan to make no mods to the CA at this time it is just perfect.
But i do have my new Battramize Maltese Combo coming in anyday now so the neck guard would be just over kill. Therefore i may remove it.
Of course pics and review of the new combo when it arrives.

Scott was great to work with at Battram.. even though it wasnt a new direct buy from him.. He answered all my questions about the CA.. Date built.. mods etc.
Scott is really a great asset to the goalie world.

Pics are at the other goalieboard. just click to see them.

http://www.goaliestore.com/board/equipment-reviews/68454-battram-ca.html#post1056189

Cheers
Jim

[king tut]

Jim, Welcome to the Battram Brotherhood..

...Bruno...

[Cujo_64]

awesome looking unit... like I mentioned before I have a feeling that battram will be my next C/A as I want to get a protective unit that's not as bulky.... rob

[BoltThrower]

I can't wait to get mine...now if only Scott made pants! LOL

[Scipio]

Seriously!

[Moving Target]

I can't wait to get mine...now if only Scott made pants! LOL

seriously serious ...I'd buy them ASAP

[Punisher]

ditto on the pants, yellow/purple, retro Kings pants.
or black with a little punisher skull on the side, that would be sweet.

next on the list is a battram CA but first i need the green for it.

pun.

[Scipio]

Well I got the chance to use my Battram C/a for the first time tonight and I must say, wow, what a tank! I was using a CCM V-6 and was having some serious issues with stingers to the stomach and upper arms. Well that problem has certainly been resolved. I had the guys shell me while I stood there tonight and I didn't feel any shots whatsoever. The flexibility was decent out of the box I assume it will get much better with time. The only real issue I had with this is the heat. This thing certainly wasn't made to be worn in 95 degree weather. Scott any plans to start installing air conditioners in the c/a's? I think on the ice it should be fine and once I get it broken in it should cool off a bit I would assume. Overall definatley 10 / 10. I couldn't be happier with this unit. Thanks again Scott. Perfect job.

[BoltThrower]

Scipio, your heat issues were in roller?

[Scipio]

That is correct Bolt. I'm hoping it will get better as it breaks in, but if not I'll just deal with it. I'd much rather be protected and just be a bit hot rather than getting stung all the time.

[Jim**]

Update, i have used this CA now 3 times and tonight in the playoff game that we won in OT... It simply put is perfect. No stingers very mobile. needs little to no break in.. no need to cut anything off it or out of it!
I think this one is the keeper.. and it works well with my new combo!
cheers
Jim

[BoltThrower]

Mine just arrived today. Out of box it was definitely less bulky than I expected. The arms are a bit stiff but I imagine that should loosed up after a few uses. It's a hot, humid day here so I can't comment about how it might feel temperature wise on ice. I'm satisfied out of the box and will certainly be posting a review of my own when I've had a chance to take her out for a spin or two.

[Jim**]

Bolt when your on the ice. the arms should loosen right up. Congrats! any pics?

[BoltThrower]

Working on pics.

[Candyman]

I know that Scott will custom make your CA, but I was wondering if the arms are sewn in or have eyelets for further adjustments on the stock units. If they are adjustable, how many rows of eylets do they have (1 to 2 inches of adjustment)?

[Scipio]

On the stock unit the arms are sewn in.

[Gregan]

It's interesting how everyone is so different. When my Battram C/A showed up and the arms were sewn in I was so thankful... So often with older C/As' I've had the tied in arms fall off in the middle of games no matter how hard I tried to permanently tie them in!

[Jester]

I have had my CA for two weeks. I had not used it because Scott and I agreed that there were a few issues with craftsmanship and the unit is heading back to the shop the 24th.

On a whim this morning I decided to wear it to my two hour scrimmage session. I am glad I did because it turns out Scott is going to have to fix one more thing.

I have to give Scott many kudos on customer service. When I contacted him, he immediately got in problem solving mode and agreed to fix the little things.

Now back to playing with the unit. It replaced a Simmons unit. I had gotten tired of getting stingers on my arms. So now the CA makes me a full Battram wearer (Fury pads, 5002 catch, 5001 blocker).

On the ice, the unit felt very natural. The only surprise was how far the chest sticks out compared to my old unit. There is no way I could fit a Lexan throat protector without having it banging into the CA. Took a few shots on the arms and chest with no issues whatsoever.

From where I sit, I once again got great customer service from Scott, and the unit is absolutely performing to my expectations. As soon as the CA is fixed, the old unit is on its way to a friend of mine who has a really crappy one he is anxious to replace.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb320/USJester/cafront3.jpg

[Jim**]

Jester,
What fixes did your CA need.. it looks great. congrats !

[Jester]

Let's see, fixes, hmmm....

1) My name on the collar is 1/2 to 3/4 inch off center.
2) There is a 1.5 inch section of the lining inside one sleeve which is not sewed.
3) Not sure why I have marker lines on the fleur de lis. I think an eraser will do the trick but it is best for Scott to deal with it.
4) On the right shoulder where the straps attach for the back piece, something is sewn off position causing the shoulder to bunch up.
5) Somehow the sleeves are pushing pretty hard on my gloves. So we will either shorten the sleeve or make the bottom half of the floater shorter or both.

Scott has been great on this and since I am driving by Curries next week, that gives me a reason to drop off the CA and see his shop. Now I know Scott doesn't sew the CAs so I suspect someone at the shop is going to have to do some explaining to him when they see my unit again...

I am still VERY happy with my purchase despite the above little annoyances. If all I have to do is drive 10 minutes extra to get it fixed, it is well worth it. This CA is just unbelievably good. And I must say that having an entire set (pads, gloves, CA) in black, white and bronze has turned out perfectly. I get tons of compliments from people of all ages. As a matter of fact, I chuckle when the kids realize the guy wearing the cool set is an old fart!!!!

[Scott Battram]

Any quality issues like these are simply not acceptable at Battram, a company who has been known for the highest quality products available for the past 15 years, so the issues will be fixed or replaced and the person(s) who did the work on the unit have been dealt with.

[Jester]

I just wanted to clarify that the unit's design is top notch and I am still 100% happy with my decision to purchase my CA from Scott.

What is really impressive here is that when I called Scott, there was no hesitation and he was eager to get the CA done right. So there were a few minor things wrong with the unit, big deal! I am convinced Scott will get them right next week and I will end up with a GREAT CA.

Scott has built his business around quality products and great service. I certainly got great products and he demonstrated great customer service. That combination is so rare these days.

At my age, I may never buy another set of gear. But if I do, Scott will absolutely be the one producing it.

[Jester]

Got my CA unit back yesterday. It is absolutely perfect. I can't wait to get on the ice Saturday morning for two hours. The unit could not arrive at a better time as I now have a serious bruise on my sternum thanks to my old unit.

Many thanks, Scott!!! Great product, great customer service. Life is good....LOL

[spydurman79]

Yeah this unit is definitely very protective and love how it feels and i'm even playing better in it however i'm also noticing some issues w/ mine now that i've used it a couple times and don't know what to do... Scott i'm not sure what can be done at this point because I have used it and can't afford to do without but in this post Jester writes how there is bunching of material because of something being sewn off kilter and mine is the same, the right shoulder was sewn higher than the left so there is a slight "warping" feeling because of the discrepancy of probably just a hair..The logos flaked off after 2 games, no more battram on the unit except the embroidered area on the collar, because the unit was wet the white logos stuck to the material and was a nightmare to clean, also the 2 straps on the shoulders weren't secure very well at all, they won't hold up too long..this can be fixed at a repair shop but the issue w/ the off kilter shoulder is pretty wierd, the logos are just appearance so it doesn't bother me to much but these are things that i've dealt with and i'm feelin pretty bummed about it..

[LBR119]

How bulky is the unit? They gave us XXXL Jerseys instead of goalie cut. I had to get a cheap smaller C/A because the jersey restricted my movement.

If it would fit under an XXXL Jersey....this would be my next purchase.

[Scott Battram]

I dont know which shoulder straps you are refering to, but they are all double stitched some, triple and there should be no problems with those. We have made hundreds of upper body pads and I have never had a person contact me about shoulder straps, while it may appear as though they are not on there securely, they are!!

If the shoulder issue is bothering you, you would need to send it back here to get it addressed. Otherwise you could take it apart, then re-stitch it by hand, if its only off a hair, it you may only need to take a few stitches out.